The President as national hero has been quite effective in rallying the people to his side, but he does so by appearing to stand above or beyond politics. Explore four personifications: Washington, W.H. Harrison, Grant, Eisenhower, of this ideal, suggesting a wide-ranging reality behind an enduring standard. Pierce, Garfield, Harding, Ford: Americans have wondered why relatively obscure figures are so prominently featured in the American presidency. Much of the answer lies in the operation of American government during the years between Jackson and FDR. .